If You Don't See This Movie, IT'S A CRYING SHAME!

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ON BORROWED TIME

starring Lionel Barrymore and Bobs Watson

1939
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IMdB says:

Young Pud is orphaned and left in the care of his aged grandparents. The boy and his cantankerous old grandfather become inseparable friends. But Gramps is concerned for his grandson's future and wary of a scheming relative who seeks Pud's custody. One day Mr. Brink -- an agent of Death -- arrives to take Gramps "to the land where the woodbine twineth." Through a bit of trickery, Gramps confines Mr. Brink, and thus Death, to the top of an old apple tree, giving Gramps extra time to resolve issues about Pud's future.
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Seeing as how I am the president of 'BIG BOYS DON'T CRY', the Southwestern U.S. chapter of the Bobs Watson Fan Club, it should surprise no one that I find ON BORROWED TIME (1939) to be one of the most charming black & white movies from Hollywood's Golden Era. Bobs (no, that is not a typo -- it is Bobs with an "s") was the child actor who CRIED his way through many films of the 1930s and '40s, making arguably his biggest SPLASH in 1938's 'Boys Town' (Bobs was one of the last people to visit with Spencer Tracy before his death). I felt his best performance, however, came in the whimsical TEARJERKER, On Borrowed Time, which also featured Mr. Henry Potter (the great Lionel Barrymore); Clarence Oddbody, angel second-class (Henry Travers); and Mrs. Ma Bailey (Beulah Bondi). Ah yes, 'It's A Wonderful Life', but it's 'On Borrowed Time!'
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Bobs Watson was only 8 years old when he portrayed Pud Northrup in ON BORROWED TIME, and I still think it stands as the best acting ever from a kiddie -- unbelievably believable! Bobs appeared in over 200 movie and television productions and 500 stage productions, beginning at the age of 6 months. He was renowned in Hollywood circles for having a strange knack of being able to turn the tears on and off like from a faucet. There's an old story in Filmland that the famous Academy Award-winning director, Yoey O'Dogherty, once accidentally dropped his hat and Bobs' eyes started to well up.
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But what you may not know is that poor Bobs suffered from a multiple personality disorder which eventually interfered with his acting career. He gained a reputation for being doubly hard to work with on the set, and he insisted on delivering ALL of the lines in every on-screen dialogue. He became the first Hollywood star to publicly admit to having undergone treatment at the famous Bettys Ford Clinic. Bobs was subsequently cured and released.
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Unfortunately, he suffered a relapse some years later, but found success in the music world as the founding (and ONLY) member of the a cappella Rock 'N' Roll group, THE BOBS. Bobs Watson had a religious experience while his band was on the road, touring in Damascus, and he eventually disbanded THE BOBS (amidst much acrimony and dissent from the other band members), leaving the rebellious Rock scene behind to become a Methodist minister. He returned to the silver screen in several cameo appearances later in life, including one in Ron Howard's directorial debut, Grand Theft Auto (1977), in which he played himself, the Reverend Bobs Watson. He passed away in 1999 at the age of 68. Bobs Watson was honored on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame when a star with his name engraved in it was placed at the intersection of Alvarado Street and Scott Avenue.
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Sometime after he had become an ordained minister, Bobs had this to say about his former unique ability to produce tears at the drop of a hat: "For a while, I used to worry that if I gave a really moving sermon, people would just figure that I was still acting, but I got over that... Actually, I think the ability I was known for around the studios was what has helped me the most as a clergyman. To get me to cry - which is so hard for most kid actors - all a director, or my dad, would have to do was to tell me about some terrible trouble someone was having. I could always empathize and would burst into tears. Now I just see what can be done to help the person who comes to me with a serious problem. And there is always something. You know, Jesus never ever fails us."
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My friends, if you have the opportunity, be sure to purchase or rent this movie -- it will make you laugh; it will make you cry (right along with Bobs). ON BORROWED TIME is sure to put a tear in your eye and a warm glow in your heart. Although the production values are naturally not up to current standards, this story is really quite good, and so were Bobs. I mean, so WAS Bobs.*.

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[*NOTE: My review contains a mixture of fiction and nonfiction (mostly the latter); I'll leave it to you to separate 'em. The one element of this review that you most definitely can count on, however, is that the strange duck, Stephen T. McCarthy, really does love ON BORROWED TIME, and strongly urges you to see it!]

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Official Movie Trailer: click HERE
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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